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Last week I was flipping through the channels and came across a rerun of "The Late Show with David Letterman." Who was the comic featured that night? Nick Griffin. That's when I realized that not only was Nick going to be here this week, but that he's already been on Letterman seven times. Just six weeks ago, he was on the "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" and before that Conan O'Brien. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that we're fortunate to have Nick back here because he's based in New York and doesn't get out to Tahoe much unless he can tie it in with other projects he's doing in southern California.

Nick probably spends more time on the road than he does in his own bed in New York, so he tries to get booked into places where he feels most at home, in addition to getting paid decently. I've known Nick for well over 15 years when he used to be based in southern California but, since he relocated to New York, we still text every now and then on what our favorite movie is for that particular week. Nick has written scores of screenplays in addition to writing for others while based in L.A. but, ironically, his career really took off once he made the move to the East Coast. Immediately he was accepted by the New York scene and found himself a favorite among the other comics and was getting booked pretty regularly into every comedy club out there.

Nick's been performing since he was 19 in Kansas City, where he grew up, slowly working the Midwest before making his way to the coast to get his career going. Nick's latest CD, "Bring Out the Monkey" has been selling pretty well and is probably his best release ever and he still has enough material to already put out a new one so hopefully that will be in the works soon. This time of year is special for Nick because he's into horror/sci-fi movies (having written or co-written a dozen scripts on the genre) and we're still in that post-Halloween high and it's still too early for the holidays, which can be kind of depressing for some comics. That's why Tahoe is special for Griffin and he sometimes refers to this place as a special haven where he holes up and writes and, when his head is full, he can take a stroll down by the lake and re-energize his template for more ideas on monsters. I always know when it's time for Nick to make a trip out here after reading his online journal, commenting how things are going for him. For example: the entry in which he posted, "Things have been okay lately, which is huge for me, because I always expect the worst," means now would be a good time to get back to Tahoe.

You know you've made a distinct impression on a comic when they say to you, "I'm sorry ... and you are?" Such is the case with one of my favorites, David Gee. His last big national exposure came earlier this year when he appeared on Rita Rutner's Showtime special, "Rita Rudner And 3 Potential Ex-Husbands." He killed, having the sold-out crowd of 1,700 laughing hysterically. Personally, (with apologies to the other acts), I think Gee stole the show.

Gee (who dropped the 'k' for professional reasons) includes a lot of Tahoe into his act - not just because the locals appreciate it, but because David has a long history up here being from the Bay Area. Although a Dodgers fan - he hasn't spoken to me since my SF Giants got into the playoffs and World Series - Gee can still remain civil when I bring up my love for not just the Giants, but the 49ers, too. David hosts a number of celebrity golf tournaments lending his time and talent whenever he can. In addition to his stint on Showtime, David has appeared on "The Tonight Show," was a semi-finalist on ABC's "The Next Best Thing," "Access Hollywood," "Entertainment Tonight" and, as mentioned earlier, is always asked to be the host for numerous fundraisers.

A highlight of David's show would have to be the impressions he does of famous actors. Not only does he do their voices spot-on, but also recreates memorable scenes from some of their most famous movies. He also does some of the best sports announcers you'll ever hear, too. It's going to be a week of first-class humor.